It is 1950, and the Swedish Home Research Institute is funding studies into the efficiency of Swedish housewives in their own kitchens. The aim being to rationalise the furnishing, and thus cut down on family expenditure, and to keep unnecessary movements to a minimum. Once the survey has been completed, the researchers’ focus shifts to Norway to study how men living alone behave in the kitchen. The observer, Folke (Tomas Norström), arrives in Isak (Joachim Calmeyer)’s kitchen, where he takes up his position on a tall chair, like a tennis umpire. Slowly the relationship between the observer and the observed begins to thaw and build, despite the unlikely situation and the life and work implications of the two protagonists. Shortlisted for an Oscar in 2004, the film has garnered awards at festivals in many European countries, not least the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI Award at Cannes.